Why Everyone Deserves a Weekend’s Worth of Bedtime

August 1, 2016

Traffic. Reports. Meetings. Errands. As you run yourself ragged fulfilling all these obligations, it really feels like there’s too little time—or at least, too much to do—for you to do what matters. But while YOLO may be your battle cry at the end of every Friday shift, you have to keep the importance of relaxing on weekends in mind. In other words, getting some sleep and respite in the bedroom may be the best way to recharge your batteries at the end of the workweek.

Don’t believe it? Here are 9 solid reasons to get your behind in bed and keep it there until Monday.

Strengthen Your Antibody Army

One of the best ways how to catch up on sleep during weekends is to get sick. There’s nothing like a stuffed nose to make you not want to get up at all. Of course, nobody wants to get to that point, which is why it’s ideal to have a healthy immune system. It has been proven that when you lack sleep, your immune system gets compromised, making you more vulnerable to disease and making your healing functions slower (imagine if Wolverine didn’t sleep at all—his accelerated healing factor would probably be worthless). During the typical workweek, you encounter hundreds, if not thousands of chances to catch an infection from someone or something. You don’t want to spend your weekend sick in bed, so you might as well spend it healthy in bed, right?

It’s Called “Bed Weather” for a Reason

The rainy season is here, meaning that on any given day, there’s a chance of a downpour. Rain on a weekend makes you weigh the pros and cons of going out. The major reason to go out in spite of rain, of course, is to go someplace fun. But look at the health risks of exerting yourself in rainy weather: studies suggest that lowered body temperatures can make people more susceptible to viral infection. Couple that with the pollution in the metro, and that doubles the threat. It’s also easier to slip and injure yourself on wet streets.

In case of inclement weekend weather, it may be best to just take a rain check on any plans of going out. When you’re staying indoors, wouldn’t it be nicer to lie in a comfortable bed of foam instead? You can choose from a variety of foam and mattresses from Uratex Philippines with innovative technology to keep you cozy even against the notorious rainy weathers in the country.

Repay Your Sleep Debt

People are not machines. We’re not built to chug along indefinitely, needing only energy to get by. The scientific truth is that everyone needs seven to nine hours of sleep a day. Not getting that much sleep per day results in fatigue. That affects you on a physical level: you move slower, your body feels heavier, and you get headaches just to name a few. Sleep deprivation is like credit card debt because before you know it, it costs you more than you can afford. Piled-up fatigue takes a heavy toll on your body, mind and performance too. Catching up on sleep may sound dull and boring, but it pays definite dividends, so you definitely want to spend your weekend getting solid blocks of sleep time in.

Bond in the Bedroom

A lot of people in committed relationships see the weekend as a chance to have quality time. Those who are part of a family see it the same way. The conventional idea of spending quality time is going out on the town, and maybe going for dinner and a movie. But that’s not what makes relationships work. Relationships are based on genuine affection, nurturing touches, and intimacy, and you can hardly get those when you’re spending all your time with your loved ones jostling through crowds. If you’re looking for real quality time with your partner or your kids, your best bet is probably staying at home in the bedroom rather than going out to a mall.

Go on a Marathon… without Running 42 Kilometers

Be honest: how many TV shows do you watch religiously? Are you all caught up with your favorite heroes and their adventures? If you follow the typical person’s workweek schedule, probably not. Marathoning your favorite shows in bed can be a relaxing way to spend your weekend. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, what happens to a fictional character may not matter, but it’s a great way to make small talk. And believe it or not, small talk can be very important in business. So maybe you should consider spending your weekend in the bedroom on a comfortable foam mattress, binge-watching that TV series everyone’s talking about, and formulating an opinion on who should become king or who should end up dating whom.

Reap the Mental Benefits

Lack of sleep can result in physical fatigue, but it also has mental costs. Studies have linked sleep debt to things like loss of concentration and loss of memory. Sleep is also very important to learning: scientists hypothesize that REM sleep plays an essential role in the acquisition of learned material, which is why studying material in staggered intervals with rest breaks is better than trying to cram. Sleep is also essential in memory consolidation, the mechanism by which memories become stable in one’s mind. A weekend on a comfortable foam mattress may be just the thing to keep your mind and memory sharp.

Rebalance Your Emotional Gyroscope

Have you ever had someone tell you that you “woke up on the wrong side of the bed”? Well, the truth is there is no such thing as the wrong or right side of the bed; a lot of the time, the problem is lack of sleep. When your body is in a state of fatigue, you become more irritable and less in control of your emotions. Things that normally wouldn’t set you off become very annoying, and you tend to lash out at people for the littlest things. That can definitely affect your relationships with your family, your friends, and your coworkers. Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep, especially when you consider your emotional health.

Reset Your Body Clock

A lot of us spend our days looking at screens, whether on the computers in our office or on our mobile devices. Believe it or not, that behavior can actually affect you on a physiological level. When you expose your eyes to blue-light emissions from screens, your body mistakes it for sunlight. This can cause suppression of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. The result? Your sleep schedule gets thrown out of sync, and you end up feeling jetlag-like effects such as being sleepy at the wrong hours. Stress, coffee, and energy drinks can have similar sleep-disrupting effects. So take a chill pill and just use the weekend to recalibrate your systems.

Step Back and See the Big Picture

Because of the crazy hectic pace that you maintain during the workweek, you tend to address urgent matters and leave important things on the back burner. When little things like daily tasks and weekly reports are right in your face, they tend to obscure big concerns like your long-term plans for the future, the state of your relationships, and reflections on you really want out of life. Weekends are your free time to spend how you want, so consider spending it on yourself. Get your nose off the grindstone, step off the hamster wheel of social obligation, really take time to meditate and squeeze in all the sleep that you need.

It’s tempting to spend your free time socializing as much as possible. After all, at the end of the day, life happens when you spend time with your friends and family. However, spending weekend activities with loved ones won’t matter if it comes at the expense of your health. Everyone wants to maximize their free time, but considering the reasons for staying in on weekends, simple relaxation might be best.